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The North Carolina gymnastics team won 195.075-193.000 against Towson on Saturday in its first ever Mental Health Awareness meet.

What happened?

The Tar Heels took an early lead after finishing the first rotation 48.975-48.525 on vault. First-year Drew Aldridge started off strong with a 9.800. Though graduate Megan Ruzicka took a fall and scored a 9.100, juniors Mikayla Robinson and Khazia Hislop finished with a 9.800 and 9.900, respectively, to put North Carolina ahead going into the second rotation on bars.

Junior Mekyllah Williams scored a 9.800 on bars, while junior Grace Donaghy and sophomore Rylie Dewhurst both finished with a 9.750 for the Tar Heels. North Carolina's performance on bars gave the team 48.725 points, keeping the lead against Towson, 97.700-96.950.

The Tar Heels took to the beam on the third rotation. Hislop and Dewhurst both scored a 9.800, and junior Alexis Allen scored a 9.725. Senior Jamie DeCicco fell during a difficult performance and received a 9.275. North Carolina finished with a 48.475 on beam, narrowly dropping the rotation to Towson, who scored 48.550, in the Tar Heels' only loss of the day.

In the fourth rotation, North Carolina scored a 48.900 on floor for its highest-scoring event of the competition. Hislop and Robinson had leading scores of 9.875 and 9.825, respectively. Hargrave and sophomore Lily Dean finished out the competition with 9.750 on floor, cementing the win over Towson in the final rotation.

Who stood out?

Williams scored a career high on bars with a 9.800, finishing first place in the event. First-year Emery Summey also scored a career high on bar with a 9.675.

Hislop contributed 29.575 points to the Tar Heels, leading North Carolina in all three of her performances. Out of all competitors, Hislop finished first place on vault, first on floor, and second on beam.

When was it decided?

North Carolina scored notably higher than Towson on floor, finishing the event with 48.900 points, while Towson finished with 47.600. The Tar Heels' dominating floor performance proved to be the nail in the coffin for Towson.

Why does it matter?

North Carolina previously had a losing record at home. However, after the win against Towson, the Tar Heels are now an even 2-2 at home and 6-3 overall.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will compete again at North Carolina State University this Saturday.

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